


Leia Skywalker- Rising from the Dust

by LeoraPhthalo



Series: Leia Skywalker: The Trilogy [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Be happy, Don't worry, F/M, Leia and Luke swapped places, M/M, Needs Editing, No Incest, XD, although it is pretty funny in esb, because Lucas is a bastard, but leiaxhan takes precedence, even though I like it a lot as well, han is pan, i wanna make it pretty clear, lando is bi, landoxhan also minor, leia is demisexual, luke is gay, may or may not switch some stuff up a bit, no offence (yes offence), so I need to change some stuff to incorporate the existence of the Rogue One characters into it, the Skysolo will only be a minor ship, they will probably still be dead though, this story was written pre-Rogue One, this will probably become a series, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-04-25 00:02:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4939009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeoraPhthalo/pseuds/LeoraPhthalo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Leia went to Owen and Beru, whilst Luke went with Bail Organa? Original Trilogy AU. I know that this has probably been done before, but hopefully this one might be somewhat different. Warnings: some sexual themes, alcohol, mature themes in general. Not for those under the age of 16. I will try to warn you about triggers during the chapters. Enjoy! -Leo</p><p>On hold until June! (will be edited as I said that I would fix the story to make the whole Death Star fiasco make sense and then Rogue One stepped in and did it... sooo.... yeh... XD)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Life of the Party

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my very first Star Wars fanfiction. It's been in my head for sometime now, and now that I've finally written the first chapter to my liking, I figure I ought to start sharing it so I start going somewhere with it.
> 
> Plot: What if Leia was given to her uncle and aunt, whilst Luke was given to Bail Organa?
> 
> Now, I know that this has been done before, but I don't think I've seen anyone think about how Leia is not the same as Luke personality-wise. Most people have tended to simply copy the script of Episode IV, whereas really, I think that Luke and Leia would have probably been treated differently by their peers, because they are of different genders, and because they have different personalities.
> 
> Of course, film Leia and Luke will be different from my version of Leia and Luke, because they have been raised differently, but underneath it all, they should retain similar character traits. Luke will probably be similar to Anakin whereas Leia taking after her mother.
> 
> In general, this should stick to the plot of ANH, but I might change stuff up (such as how they destroy the bloody Death Star, because really, it was a bit stupid how it was done in the first film. A ventilation shaft that leads directly to the reactor? Seriously?) I'll see how I feel about it.
> 
> Sooooooooo... Let's see how this turns out...
> 
> DISCLAIMER- All rights go to Lucas (the bastard) and whoever else helped out with the Star Wars films.
> 
> Warnings: mentions of sex, drunk, mentions of neglect

Mos Eisley Cantina was not the ideal party venue, but by this point, everyone, except Leia Skywalker, was too out of it to really care.

For most people, being able to watch their intoxicated friends would have been a dream come true. But Leia was not most people. The only thing on her mind was keeping an eye on the other people in the Cantina and making sure they didn't drug, rape or kill any of her friends. She knew, from experience, that the people who frequented the Cantina were not to be crossed.

How, out of all of her friends, not one of them had noticed any of the multitude of dangers, she didn't know. It wasn't like the Cantina regulars were being subtle about their annoyance or gross interest in the group of newbies. There was no way Leia was going to let down her guard; it was so blatantly obvious that something bad was going to happen that she could practically sense the inevitable disaster.

She had managed to grab hold of Dax and forced him to stay close to her. Despite that fact that he was so drunk, Leia was pretty much holding him upright, his presence by her side warded off many of the leering gazes that she was getting from the older clientele of the place. Whilst it did bug her that to avoid harassment she had to pretend she was already with someone, she definitely preferred it to the alternative.

"Great eighteenth birthday party, Kata," Leia muttered to herself, keeping an eye on the tall, slender girl, who was steadily grinding on some random older man, ready to dive over to rescue her from getting knocked up if necessary. She wasn't even sure why she had even risked coming to this party; it was not fun, or at least she hadn't drunk enough for it to be fun. Truthfully, she didn't want to be like Kata, hooking up with some sleazy dude in a corner.

At least she was there to keep an eye on everyone, even though they were all idiots for drinking too much.

Her cover story to Owen and Beru hadn't been too difficult to come up with. Every standard month, Leia and Owen would go up to Mos Eisley to restock the farm, but her uncle had hurt his back whilst working a few days ago. Leia offered to take the trip with Dax, knowing that they would be more likely to say yes if she had company, saying she would stay the night at Kata's place before coming back the next day.

Technically, she hadn't even lied to them, just omitted the fact that she would be at a party for the better half of the night and that most of her other friends would be at Kata's apartment too. They had agreed easily. Beru and Owen knew she could handle herself and trusted her to be sensible enough.

Like not drink.

Or have "fun".

Looking around at her friends, Leia sighed and resigned herself to clear up duty.

* * *

 

It was around half-eleven when Dax abandoned her. Leia gave a start in her seat when the person next to her was a Wookie, not Dax bewilderedly gazing at his drink. The shriek that escaped her mouth was not loud enough to draw much attention, but the furry figure next to her whipped his head around at the sound, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she managed to say, without sounding too shaky or fearful. "I was just surprised."

He didn't speak, just gave her a miffed grunt and proceeded to ignore her. Leia gave a sigh of relief as she ducked into an alcove which was only slightly less noisy than the main space. Wookies were not a common species people would normally encounter out and about, and she really didn't want to accidentally irritate one of them.

Slumping against the wall, she closed her eyes for a moment of peace. Exhaustion was getting to her and she felt her mind becoming less and less focused, despite her mental struggle to stay alert for her friends. It was the only reason she was still in the Cantina now. In reality, all she longed for at that moment was a warm bed to curl up and sleep in.

"What is a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this?"

Her eyes snapped open. Ice slithered down her spine, rooting her to the spot.

This is what you get when you let your guard down, you stupid girl, she thought, anger and fear coursing through her body.

Tentatively, she looked over her shoulder and came face to face with a man. He was tall, much taller than she was (although that was not a difficult feat), with tanned skin and dark brown hair. He didn't look much older than she was.

Or maybe he was. She couldn't be sure.

He had this childish air about him: the playful, cocky smirk that graced his face; the relaxed confident way he leant against the wall of the alcove behind her and the twinkle in his eyes. But at the same time, he had a worn look about him, like he had been through much in life. She couldn't quite place his age, which would usually have disquieted her but, for some bizarre reason, she wasn't.

"Party," she finally managed to blurt out, shaking herself out of her stunned daze, pointing at the throng of her friends that were still dancing, despite having been here for almost three hours.

He gestured to the table. "Want to chat?" he asked. "It looks like you are a bit lonely."

She raised her eyebrows. "I'm not lonely," she remarked, indignantly.

"You've been wandering around the Cantina on your own, keeping an eye on your drunk friends and all in all, not really having much to do." He smiled, less of an arrogant smirk and more of a genuine, friendly smile. "I'll even help you herd them all back to wherever you are staying tonight."

Leia gave him a puzzled look. "Would you actually?" she asked him, confused, but moving to sit down in the chair he had offered.

He shrugged. "Sure, I've got nothing better to do and I don't really think any of your friends are in the right mind to actually help you, so unless you want to escort ten intoxicated people on your own, I'm happy to give you a hand."

"Okay. Thanks." She was still a little hesitant, but for once, the guy seemed genuine.

"So, what's your name?" he asked, the grin reverting back to the irritating smirk. She was tempted to reach out and slap his face, it annoyed her so much, but knew that there was no way she was going to get everyone back to Kata's apartment without his help.

"Why do you want to know?" she said, the bite in her voice returning as she glared at him from across the table.

"Maybe I'm interested," he said, rocking back on his chair to pick at the peeling paint on the wall behind. "You aren't a regular customer of the Cantina because I've never seen you before-"

"I'm not."

"But I have seen some of your friends before."

Leia began inspecting her nails, unable to maintain constant eye contact with him. "I'm not from Mos Eisley. I live somewhere else."

"Right."

They fell silent, the noise of the various people dulled by the alcove they sat in.

"You know," began the man, just when Leia thought things could not get more awkward. "I have a ship."

"Yeah?"

He nodded, his expressions softening into an almost wistful haze. "I won her from someone in a game of sabacc. He wasn't impressed when he realised he had lost, but there you are."

"What sort?"

"Modified YT-1300."

Leia snorted. "Sounds like you won a rusty tin to me."

She was surprised when the man's eyes flashed in fury, his face contorting sharply. "Hey! That rusty tin can make it point five past lightspeed."

She raised her eyebrows. "Seriously? YT-1300's were made before the rise of the Empire, so how you managed to find one that still flies, I don't know."

"You'd be surprised." He had seemed to have gotten past his initial annoyance at her dismissal of his ship. "I gave her some upgrades after I won her. Chewie is my co-pilot."

Leia raised an eyebrow. "Who's Chewie?"

"Chewbacca. He's my friend, the Wookie you bumped into earlier."

"Oh. You're friends with a Wookie?"

"He owes me a life debt. I saved him."

There was another awkward silence.

"I'll show her to you if you want."

"What, the ship?"

He nodded.

"Now?"

"Why not?"

Leia looked around, tempted to leap out of her seat when she saw Dax hitting on a random woman. "I'd rather keep an eye on these idiots in case they start doing something stupid." Her eyes furrowed when she realised someone was missing. "Have you seen Kata?"

"Who?"

"My friend. It's her birthday party but I can't see her anymore." Leia stood up, shuffling around in the cramped alcove to try and get free of the claustrophobic space. "I think I know where she is anyway."

"Need any help?"

But Leia was already beginning to weave her way through the crowds of people, eyes darting around for any sight of the birthday girl. The writhing mass of bodies was beginning to overwhelm her when she finally caught a glimpse of Kata through the crowd, thanks to her hair. She would regularly dye her pale blond hair blue and purple at the tips, which certainly made her stand out. Most of the time, Leia would complain that the striking hairstyle would bring them unwarranted attention, but for once she was somewhat relieved that the look made it easier for her to find her friend in crowds such as these.

That being said, it was probably also the reason why Kata was now hitting it off quite well with the random guy now tailing her. He was at least twice her age, if not older and Leia was positive that the two of them were making a beeline for the back room. The guy was obviously as drunk as she was, stumbling a little as he attempted to grope her as well as speed-walk.

"Kriffing hell, Kata," she muttered under her breath, steeling herself as she began to push her way back through the crowd, cursing her choice in friends. She loved Kata, but there were times in which she really was a bit stupid, although she really shouldn't judge considering that the girl was under the influence of alcohol.

They got into the back room before Leia could stop them. Maybe it was due to their drunken haze that they forgot to lock the door, but Leia wasn't going to complain. She barged into the room, practically heaving the random stranger off her friend whilst simultaneously dragging a somewhat bedraggled Kata onto her feet.

"Sorry, but it's time to go home now," Leia told her, barely giving the protesting man a glance, completely unperturbed by the awkwardness of the situation. She ignored Kata's complaints when she said she knew what she was doing. "You don't even have the implant yet," she pointed out, fixing the taller girl's hair. "You really want to explain to your parents if you accidentally get pregnant?"

"They don't care!" Kata half-yelled. "All they care about is gambling and betting money we don't have. If I got pregnant, they wouldn't even notice." She burst into tears.

Leia sighed, giving her a hug. "You would notice, though. They wouldn't let you join the Rebellion if you were pregnant. Don't risk your dreams because of recklessness."

Kata nodded, tearfully, burying her face into the younger girl's shoulder.

"Come on. Let's go home. I think we have all had enough."

The man had passed out on the floor, to Leia's relief. She really didn't want to have to deal with him as well; her friends were trouble enough.

"Are you sure you don't want any help."

Leia gave a yelp of surprise, startling Kata, before realising it was just the cute guy from earlier. "Kriff, you scared me!"

"Sorry." He looked genuinely apologetic, his face soft and honest. Something within her seemed to shift as he stood a little awkwardly, running his hands through his hair in such a manner that for once she didn't think before she spoke. "I would love some help." She gave him a timid smile.

It might have become the most ill thought decision that she had ever made. She was glad that it didn't.

"So, what is your name?" he asked, picking Kata up bridal style when he noticed that she was practically falling asleep on Leia.

"Leia Skywalker. And you?"

"Han Solo. Nice to meet you."


	2. Strings of Corruption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a shout out to all who commented and gave me kudos! Thank you guys! This chapter is for you!  
> For those who didn't comment- Please do! I really love feedback from everyone! I will try my best to reply to you all!  
> Disclaimer- Yeah, I don't own Star Wars. Rights go to Lucas (why...) and whoever else decided to pitch in. Note to Lucas, you could have made the prequels amazing, but you failed... Why?
> 
> Enjoy!

It took a surprisingly short amount of time for Leia and Han to herd her friends out of Mos Eisley Cantina and ensure all their dues were paid. Fortunately, the bartender had kept on top of everyone's payments, so there hadn't been much to sort out on that front.

What was difficult was the walk back to Kata's apartment. Some of her friends kept wandering off, having to be dragged back to the side of the dusty street so that they weren't hit by any speeders. It was a miracle that no one died on the journey, but somehow, between the two of them, they managed to get all of them into Kata's main room, most of them passed out on the floor or the sofa. Dax somehow had managed to fall asleep draped over the side of one of the hard, plastic, dining chairs. He was going to be in pain in the morning.

"All good then?"

They were stood at the door, Solo leaning up against the frame almost carelessly. "I think so," she said. "I should be able to manage from here. I don't have to think about any of them getting into trouble in here, except maybe someone falling asleep in the 'fresher."

"You don't want me to stop by in the morning?"

Leia shook her head. "I'll be off as soon as someone else is awake enough to keep an eye on the others. We'll be fine." They stood in silence, somewhat awkwardly before she spoke again. "You're rather nice for a Mos Eisley citizen."

"I'm Correllian."

"Ah. What are you doing on Tatooine then?"

"Clearing debts."

"You have debts?" She sounded incredulous. "How old are you?"

Solo straightened. "I am not that old! I just… Forget it." He looked like he had been about to reveal something incredibly personal, but caught himself just in time. She decided not to ask more. After all, he was about to leave and it wasn't like he was going to bother to maintain contact with her. She was just a simple girl who worked on a moisture farm and probably would until Owen let her join the rebellion. He had more important things to be doing.

"I should go," he murmured, after a prolonged silence. "I should find Chewie. He'll be wondering where I am."

Leia nodded. "You do that."

There was a moment of hesitation before he turned and began to walk down the dingy corridor, sandy with crumbling walls.

"Thanks for helping," she added, just before he disappeared out of sight around the corner.

She didn't wait for him to acknowledge her words, shutting the heavy door quietly behind her.

* * *

Leia woke up early the next morning with her holo's alarm. She sat up, glared at the beeping device that was already beginning to get on her nerves, despite it having only been going off for less than five seconds and quickly shut it off before she woke up any of her hungover friends.

It was still only six in the morning, and she had only slept for five hours, but she knew she had to leave soon if she wanted to be back at the farm before midday. Blearily, she sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before rolling off the sofa that she had crashed on the previous evening. She was glad she had left all her belongings in her speeder that she had secured in Kata's garage yesterday prior to the party; retracing her steps to find things she had left behind would have been hell.

Just as she was about to wake Dax, Kata wandered through from her bedroom, clutching her head.

"You alright?" Leia asked as the girl set herself down on one of the chairs in the kitchen, taking care not to move much.

"Mhm," she mumbled back.

"Did you have fun yesterday?"

"Yeah. You need to go now, right?"

"I was just about to go, I was just waiting for one of you guys to wake up so I wasn't leaving with no-one keeping an eye on those asleep. Just in case something happens. You okay taking that responsibility?"

"Sure. Everyone okay?"

"Everyone is alive, I got you all back and no-one is severely injured, just a bit wasted."

"Alright. Who was that guy who was with us yesterday?"

Leia frowned; she hadn't expected Kata to remember Solo. "Oh, he was just someone I bumped into yesterday and he offered to help."

"There is never anyone that nice in Mos Eisley."

"That's what I told him."

Kata sat up straighter. "You talked to a complete stranger? You?"

"Your point?"

"You never talk to strangers."

"That isn't true. I have to talk to strangers all the time whenever I'm in one of the cities. And besides, he was friendly and offered to drag you nerfs back here so I didn't have to on my own."

A smirk grew across the girl's face. "He started flirting with you, didn't he?"

Leia rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't know. He seemed to be more interested in telling me about his ship, which sounds like a complete joke if you ask me."

"Wait!" Kata raised her hand to stop Leia from stalking out the room. "Was the ship called the Millennium Falcon by any chance?"

"You know the ship?"

"Everyone in Mos Eisley knows the ship. Belongs to a smuggler, Solo, and his Wookie pal. They're in deep with Jabba at the moment. You got chatted up by Solo?"

"Yeah. I didn't know he was famous."

"He isn't that well known off planet, that is why he is good for smuggling, but round here he keeps on getting into trouble with Jabba and his bounty hunters. I don't know why he doesn't smuggle himself away from all this, but it seems like he likes the thrill of toying with his own life."

Leia nodded carefully, taking it all in. To be perfectly honest with herself, she wasn't surprised. Most people hanging around on Tatooine were either too stubborn to leave for a better life or were somehow under the Hutt's thumb. She didn't much like Jabba's goons, which meant that the little respect that Solo had gained from her last night quickly subsided; from her perspective, someone had to be pretty shallow and greedy to be working for the slug. But, he had been nice, nicer than any of Jabba's goons she'd had the misfortune of meeting prior to Solo.

It didn't matter. She was unlikely to meet the guy ever again; he would either escape this hell hole or die, just like everyone else on the planet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really hyped for the Force Awakens. I keep crying at the Japanese Trailer... I want the soundtrack out ASAP. I just need it sooo bad.
> 
> But if it turns out to be shit, I will redo them too. Not that I think the original trilogy is shit, it just has some plot issues and I like rewriting other people's stuff, so there.
> 
> :)


	3. Back to Monotony

The journey home felt quicker than she had been anticipating. It didn't seem very long at all for the farm to appear as a dot on the horizon, gradually growing until she was there, jumping out of the speeder, calling to Owen and Beru to inform them of her prompt return.

Her aunt was in the kitchen, preparing the light and cold midday meal; anything warm during the hottest hours of the day would be unmanageable. Warm meals were left until the evening after the suns had set and the cold settled in.

Her uncle was still out on the farm, but Leia knew he would be inside by the time food was ready. It was almost impossible to be out during the middle hours of the day, the twin suns being at their peak and therefore their hottest. Only Jawas and Sandpeople had the capability to withstand the unbearable heat.

Leia swiftly moved the landspeeder out of the light, not wanting the engines to overheat, and put away everything she bought, finishing just in time to eat.

"How was Kata?" her aunt asked, passing over the milk to Owen as he slumped into his seat.

"Alright," Leia said, nodding to convince herself more than her family. "She is a bit lonely, considering her parents have pretty much abandoned her now, but Rada is staying with her now in a flat just outside the centre of Mos Eisley, so I think it is getting better."

"Oh, that's good. She was okay with you staying over, right?"

"I think she was glad to have company," she said. Despite the shenanigans of the previous evening, Kata did seem to have enjoyed herself for the majority of the time. Plus, the talk they'd had this morning had been interesting.

Owen remained silent for the meal, his mind on other things. Leia could see his clouded look, and both women knew better than to disturb him. He ate slowly, finishing last and only spoke to tell Beru that he would be in the workshop if he was needed, and would be back on the farm as soon as the outside air had cooled down.

"What do you think is up?" Leia asked, helping her aunt clean up.

"He's probably broken something. You know how he gets when things don't work."

"I know. Silent and brooding."

* * *

I'm going to need some new droids," Owen announced that evening.

"Why?"

"The R2 unit we had has just died and none of the droids can do anything with the vaporators. I've been trying nearly all day to programme one of them to do so, but nothing works."

Leia raised an eyebrow. "The Jawas should be coming by in a few days," she reminded her uncle. "They might have something that we can fix up."

"I know. It's just that half of the droids we seem to buy from them have problems."

"I can take them up to Anchorhead if you want, get them fixed up."

Owen sighed. "I know."

Beru gave him a puzzled look. "Are you okay, dear?"

"I'm fine, it's just…" He trailed off, casting a glance at his niece. "Don't worry."

Leia looked between her aunt and uncle. There was clearly something they weren't telling her, but she knew that if they didn't want her to know, they didn't want her to know. She had this natural intuition which had got her out of more than a few scrapes, and this time it was telling her not to get involved.

She finished her plate quickly, telling them that she just needed to finish a few chores before dark. They seemed more than happy to leave her be.

* * *

"What's wrong, Owen?"

The older man was silent for a moment as if mulling over his words. Finally, he said, "Do you remember the day when Ben brought Leia to us?"

"Clear as if it was just yesterday."

He paused again. "I just feel as if our days with Leia are numbered."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know. It's just a feeling."

"Are you sure you aren't a little bit Force Sensitive, dear?"

"They scanned both of us, you know. If I am, it wasn't enough to show up on their sensors."

"Do you think Ben might have any answers?"

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Do you want to talk to him? I think Leia might be ready to handle it."

Owen shook his head. "Nothing is going to change that vow, Beru. We all decided we would tell them when they reached the age of eighteen. We must all uphold that, either until that day or our deaths. They are too important to risk."

She leant over to take hold of his ageing hands. "Alright. But I still think we ought to have Ben over again soon to check that she is still hidden."

"I agree. I'll comm him later after she is asleep."

* * *

_Obi Wan Kenobi passed the small child gently to Beru Lars. She cooed, immediately taken by Leia Skywalker, who was quietly sleeping, her little mouth slightly parted, right hand flailing somewhat. Her aunt let her cling to her forefinger, rocking the child gently in her arms._

_"She is beautiful!" she exclaimed, smiling broadly at her husband. "She is so beautiful, just like her poor mama."_

_Owen smiled, a little sadly. "She is so small."_

_"She is less than a week old," Ben explained. "We would have kept them longer, but we needed to get them both into hiding as soon as we could. We don't know if Vader is looking for them or not."_

_"Will you stay here?"_

_Obi Wan nodded. "I promised Master Yoda that I would watch over her. She is the more Force Sensitive of the two and is likely to have the stronger Force signature. Bail Organa has Luke."_

_"But won't he be in the spotlight a lot, considering that Bail is a Senator? It would be so easy for Vader to find him."_

_"Vader doesn't believe that Padmé survived long enough to give birth. During the funeral, it certainly looked like she was still carrying. Even if he does find out that she survived long enough to give birth, he certainly wasn't expecting there to be twins. They are as safe as they can be."_

_"I hope you are right."_

_"None of us would endanger these children. Yoda, Bail and I did what we could to ensure that they would be safe. After all, they are the galaxy's only hope now."_

_Owen nodded. "We will protect her," he vowed. "For as long as we can."_


	4. Attack of the Empire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SOOOO EXCITED!!  
> I AM WATCHING THE FORCE AWAKENS TOMORROW!!!  
> EEEKKKKKKKKK!!!  
> Okay, here is story for you... Enjoy!

Luke Organa groaned internally as the Stormtroopers marched him down the familiar corridors of the Tantive IV. The mission had most certainly been compromised and there was almost no hope that he and his crew would survive.

He had known that it was going to be tricky, the likelihood of success low. But he hadn't really expected to fail; he was meant to defy the odds and deliver the plans safely to his father. It had already cost them so much to even get hold of the plans. At least he had managed to execute Plan B before he got captured. R2-D2 was the most resourceful droid on the ship and Luke had every confidence that it would evade the Imperial Troopers. As for himself, there was no chance of being able to escape from the situation. He sighed, resigning himself to failure, not bothering to struggle against the troopers, knowing that there would be a chance to escape later.

And if there wasn't?

Well, he had done all he could. It was just bad luck that the Star Destroyer managed to intercept them as they attempted to land at Mos Eisley to pick up Kenobi as his father had also requested. Or maybe the Imps had been tipped off. Luke didn't know and, at that particular moment, was not in the mood to really care. He was now in this mess and he had to deal with it.

The escort rounded a corner and he almost stopped walking altogether.

Vader.

Lord Vader was on his ship, not ten metres away from him. Luke stifled a gasp; it was only his pride that was preventing him from making his hesitation obvious, disguising it as a stumble.

"Lord Vader," he said, with a confident smile, hiding the terror that was washing through him behind the mask of diplomacy (or bullshitting, as Luke liked to call it). "I was not expecting to be intercepted on a diplomatic mission."

He was bullshitting so hard. It had hardly been 48 standard hours ago that the Tantive IV had intercepted the plans from Scarif.

"There is no diplomatic mission, Prince. We know that you have the plans and no one will leave this ship until they are found."

"I assure you," Luke replied, as calmly as possible, "that there are no plans belonging to the Empire here. This is a diplomatic mission to Alderaan. We have no quarrel with the Empire."

"Do not lie to me. I am aware of your traitorous actions against the Emperor and that the plans are somewhere on this ship."

The young prince summoned his remaining bravery, maintaining his façade of innocence and ignorance. "I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted. "There are no plans on this ship…"

He was cut off by an enraged Vader. "Silence! Since you will not cooperate, you will face the consequences. Move him to my ship, heavily guarded," the Sith addressed the Troopers flanking him. "Have this ship thoroughly scanned and all survivors executed. I am no longer in a forgiving mood."

Luke's mask of calm wavered. Was he supposed to display his emotions at the death sentence his crew had just been given, or bury his feelings to avoid inciting a reaction from Vader? He wasn't given enough time to decide; he was pushed roughly down the corridor, away from the terrifying entity that was darkness itself.

There was nothing more he could do except protect the Alliance all the way up until his probable imminent death.

* * *

 

Leia stood at the entrance to the farm, watching as the twin suns slowly sank beneath the darkening horizon, pleased that the day had finally come to an end. It had been tough, what with one of the vaporators blowing out on them. She spent the entire day helping Owen fix the damn things, doing the majority of the heavy lifting and tricky fiddly stuff that her uncle now struggled to do.

She sighed. It was clear that they were both getting older, Owen having to ask her more frequently for help around the farm and Beru was gradually getting slower at cooking, not able to move around as quickly as she used to. Leia was glad that over the years they had managed to accumulate a fair number of droids that were able to do some of the time-consuming jobs around the farm but at the same time, Leia was worried. She really wanted to leave Tatooine, but she knew that her aunt and uncle had no chance of surviving on the harsh planet without her.

A gust of cold air whistled through her thin clothing, and she shivered. She tightened her grip on the shawl that was wrapped at around her shoulders, but she wasn't quite ready to move into the house again. Deep in thought, she slid down the edge of the doorway to sit on the steps, face sombre as the last sliver of light disappeared and the darkness settled over the flat empty landscape.

* * *

 

"Leia?"

She woke with a start, groaning as she felt how stiff and cold her muscles felt.

Beru was looking down at her, a small smile on her face. "Come on, little one. You need to sleep in your bed, not on the doorstep."

Helping her up, the two of them shuffled through the dark, sandy corridor towards Leia's small room that was tucked away where the harsh winds wouldn't reach her. It had been hers for as long as she could remember, her old soft toys crammed in a corner along with the starship models that hung from the ceiling, locked in battle. She remembered hanging them when she was eleven and the collection would grow each year as her birthdays flew by.

It wasn't all that long ago when the only thing she really knew was the moisture farm. Owen and Beru only started taking her on trips to Anchorhead, Tosche Station and occasionally Mos Eisley when she was ten, and it was when she reached the age of sixteen that they let her go all the way to Mos Eisley on her own to do the supply runs for them.

The only reason Leia had a fair few friends was because she met Kata when she was little, Kata's family being the nearest supplier of vaporator parts, up in Mos Eisley. They managed to stay close, and it was through the eccentric female that she met everyone else.

She dragged the soft covers off her bed, wrapping them around her shoulders and then dived onto the bed, narrowly avoiding hitting her head against the wall as she buried her face into the pillow. Silence settled around her, no noise reaching her in her cosy, windowless room and she gradually slipped back into the calm that was sleep.


	5. Helping Hands

The Jawa trailer rolled up in front of the farm the next morning. Leia followed her uncle out into the hot morning, taking in the sight of the Jawas lining up their droids. "Can you see a protocol droid?" she asked her uncle. "I can already see a few R2 units."

"I see them too. And there is a protocol droid over there." He pointed to a gold figure who was shuffling into the line at the end, moving almost nervously. Leia stood back as Owen spoke with the protocol droid in his usual grumpy manner, but despite how irritating he seemed to find the droid, he quickly decided to buy him. Not that there were many better alternatives to the humanoid robot called C-3P0, but it wasn't the worst of the lot. It was in adequate condition considering that it had wound up on Tatooine and it wouldn't take much to get it back to optimal working order.

The R2 unit Owen chose, however, was rubbish. It hadn't even made it to the door of the farm when its motivator blew.

"Owen! This R2 unit's got a bad motivator!" she yelled over.

Her uncle immediately proceeded to start yelling at the Jawas. Whilst they were known to sell stuff that generally broke, this had to be the worst quality machine they had been flogged. At least they had the chance to get the money back seeing as it collapsed on them before the trailer had trundled off again.

There was a sharp tap on her shoulder and Leia was surprised to see their new protocol droid waiting to speak with her. "What?" she asked, baffled.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but that R2 unit is in prime condition. A real bargain."

Leia narrowed her eyes at C-3P0; the droids they bought from here were not known to advertise for the Jawas. Despite this, she pointed out the other R2 unit to her uncle, who wasted no time in getting it off of the small traders, who begrudgingly handed it over.

"I'm quite sure you'll be very pleased with that one, ma'am," C-3P0 babbled on. "He really is in first-class condition. I've worked with him before. Here he comes."

The blue droid trundled over, squealing excitedly at the golden droid as several Jawas moved the broken red unit back towards the trailer. Leia led the new purchases towards the garage, knowing that her uncle would be unable to do so what with his bad back.

"Will you be okay, Leia?"

She nodded. "It shouldn't take long to get them clean and ready to work." She gave him a small smile. "Don't you worry."

* * *

 

The protocol droid seemed to be able to handle itself, practically organising its own oil bath. The small R2 unit was more of a pain. Its previous owner had not really taken care of it, its body covered in carbon scoring.

"What planet are we on, ma'am?" the gold droid asked. "We've been to so many places recently I've become rather confused."

"Tatooine. It's an Outer Rim planet, which means the Empire never pays us much attention." She moved to grab a brush off the bench to clean the blue bot with. "And you don't need to call me ma'am. My name is Leia."

"We are very pleased to meet you, Leia. I am C-3P0, human-cyborg relations, and this is my counterpart, R2-D2."

"Hello," she said, nodding at the blue droid before she started scrubbing at it with the brush. "Have you been in some sort of action?" she asked after a moment.

"With all we've been through, sometimes I'm amazed we're in as good condition as we are, what with the Rebellion and all."

A surge of excitement coursed through her. "You know of the Rebellion against the Empire?" she said, looking up from R2 to look at the gold droid.

"That's how we came to be in your service, if you take my meaning, ma'am."

"What is the Resistance like?"

"There's not much to say, to be honest. There was an attack on our ship just before R2 shot us off the ship, but there isn't much to say. We aren't very involved."

She gave a small sigh of disappointment. "I've always wanted to join the Rebellion," she said, just as her brush caught on something on the blue droid. Peering closer, she spotted a small fragment of metal jammed in the small gap between the head and the body. She grabbed a pick, before continuing. "I was going to run away with Kata and we'd find the Rebellion and we would be pilots. It would be awesome."

"It's not fun and games," 3P0 pointed out.

"I know," Leia muttered, shuffling to get more leverage with the pick, her frustration mounting as the piece refused to budge. "MOVE!" she yelled, giving it one extra hard shove, shrieking as the metal gave way and she fell forward, knocking herself on the forehead against the step just beyond R2.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" 3P0 asked, rather anxiously for a droid as she sat herself up, rubbing her now sore head.

"I'm fine. And I said for you to call me Leia."

"I'm sorry, Leia. Do you need any assistance?"

But she had stopped listening. A small holo was being projected from the astromech of a man, roughly around her age. He wore a smart outfit, almost regal looking, but impractical, but the look on his face was not that of a calm diplomat. He wore his emotions on his sleeve as the continuous loop of the words "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope," played out.

"What is this?" she found herself asking to the reluctant droid, who immediately dismissed the clearly important message.

"Apparently it is old data," 3P0 translated for the blue astromech. "Nothing important."

"Yes, but who is he? And is there more to this recording?"

"I have a feeling that he was on our last voyage before we came to land on this planet. Our captain knew him somehow. R2, play the rest of the recording."

More squeals and beeps from R2. 3P0 turned to Leia as soon as the blue droid completed his message.

"For some reason," the gold droid said, "he claims to belong to Obi-Wan Kenobi, who is a resident of this area. The message is private and meant for him, but I don't understand. We belong to Captain Antilles, but to be honest, I must say that R2 has become rather eccentric, what with what we have been through."

Leia furrowed her brow. "The only person I can think of with the name Kenobi around here is Old Ben Kenobi. I haven't seen him for a few weeks now, but sometimes he comes over to eat with us. We can go and see him tomorrow, if you want and talk to him. See if we can get you to Obi-Wan so you can deliver this message of yours. It sounds important."

The astromech beeped in approval.

"He says that he would very much appreciate that."

* * *

 

There wasn't much more that Leia could do to clean the droids other than scrub them both down as best as possible. Both of them were littered with scratches, making it virtually impossible to get them shiny again, the scrapes making the metal look tarnished and matt. Fragments caught in their joints were all removed, however, the pair of them oiled down so that they could move smoothly again and all in all, she managed to get them both to a much better condition order than they previously were.

Just as she finished rubbing in the last bit of polish on R2 did Beru call her to come to dinner.

"Neat timing. Alright. You two can power down and I'll get you out in the morning."

"Goodnight, ma'am."

"G'night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really glad so many of you are enjoying this story!! Please keep commenting and giving kudos if you enjoy :)
> 
> -Leo
> 
> Rest in Peace David Bowie  
> 1947-2016  
> Thanks for being a legend.


	6. A Trip Through the Desert

Dinner was a quiet affair, Owen, in general, staying silent whilst Beru and Leia chatted softly about random insignificant things. It came as a surprise for Leia when her uncle cleared his throat and asked her about the droids.

She gave a small stammer of surprise. "They're okay, I suppose."

"Do you need to get any spare parts for them?"

"Not really, they seem to be in pretty good working condition. I couldn't see any missing parts when I was looking over them." She paused. It would be the perfect opportunity to see Ben. She just had to leave early enough to be able to do both. "But I think I might take them up to Anchorhead anyway to give them some general maintenance. There might be something I missed."

Owen nodded. "Just remember, if it costs too much, don't bother. They are good enough for now as they are."

"I'll haggle if I can. You know me. Is there anything else I should get?"

"I don't think so."

* * *

She woke up extra early the next day, not really wanting to bump into her aunt and uncle. The farmstead was silent as she moved R2 and 3P0 into the speeder and set off across the flat landscape towards Anchorhead. It wouldn't take her long to get both of the droids a basic fix up and it wasn't a long journey to Ben's small hut on the other side of the Jundland Wastes. If she was quick and they didn't get intercepted by any Sand People, she would make it back home before the suns had set, her unofficial curfew that she set herself when it came to doing things without her aunt and uncle's permission. As long as she was back before dark, they wouldn't worry too much. Leia had her own way of getting what she wanted, and it worked all the time.

The speeder whipped up the sand, around them into clouds, scraping away at the windscreen and the red paintwork. 3P0 complained the entire journey and it was only when she pulled into Anchorhead that she realised she should have just shut him down for the trip. She was so fed up by the time she had dragged the two droids into the repair shop that she was tempted just to go straight back home and not bother with the journey up to Ben's hut. The only reason she didn't was the fact that she never went back on her promises and she was beginning to get rather fond of the astromech droid. Unlike the protocol droid, who never ceased to whine about every little thing that he found inconvenient, R2 was a chirpy little thing with never ending optimism. Leia was honestly surprised that they seemed to tolerate each other, despite their frequent tiffs that they had at least ten times within an hour.

Kirshner stepped out of the depths of the workshop into the bright light of the desert morning. Leia saluted in greeting at the mechanic; she had known him since she was small, ever since Owen started taking her on the trips to Anchorhead.

"What do we have today then, Skywalker?"

"Two droids from the Jawa trailer. They need a bit of clearing up and checking over." Leia helped R2 from the speeder, heaving the small, but rather heavy astromech over the awkward lip of the transport and onto the dusty ground. Kirshner hobbled over and hunched down to give the droid a look over.

"Not too shabby, considering it's from the Jawas."

"The astromech that they almost flogged us had its motivator blow before we even got it in the house."

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

"Damn." Kirsh raised an eyebrow. "Those little buggers are getting cocky. I remember a time when they used to sell half decent stuff because they were too frightened to even try and rip us off. Times are hard I suppose. Anyway, what do you want me to do with these beauties?"

They wandered into the workshop, the sudden change from bright light to almost darkness making Leia feel like she was walking blind, dark spots clouding her vision. It cleared up rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, and she cast a glance over the organised mess that was Kirsh's workshop. "I just need them to get cleaned up and make sure everything is running smoothly. I've already done some stuff, but I'm sure there is still something to fix or clean out."

"You want me to wipe them?"

She hesitated. She knew her uncle would find out pretty quickly that she didn't wipe their memories, but at the same time, she knew there was something more to the droids than they let on. "No. They'll be fine like that."

He gave her an odd look. "Sure?"

She nodded.

"Alright, suit yourself." He pulled out a cloth bundle from the top drawer under the counter, unrolling it to reveal his essential tools and got down to look at R2. After methodically testing the various functions of the unit, he stood up. "He looks a little worse for the wear, but he seems to be fully functional." Kirsh moved on to C-3P0; the gold droid had been left standing in a corner, shut down so that he wouldn't talk. Leia helped the technician move him into the centre of the room before they got to work scrubbing the gold droid down.

"I already gave him an oil bath yesterday to loosen his joints," Leia informed Kirsh. "He was clogged full of sand, so I think he was hanging around in the desert for a fair bit. The R2 unit had a lot of carbon scoring and sand too."

"You think they have seen some action?"

"I have my suspicions. That's the main reason why I don't want to wipe their memories yet."

Kirsh sighed. "Your uncle won't be impressed. Plus, it is likely that they have several layers of coding before you can get to the secure stuff."

"I know. But there is some stuff I can do."

It was another hour before the droids were finally clean. Fortunately, Kirsh seemed to be in a good mood and Leia succeeded in haggling a fairly low price for the basic maintenance the mechanic had provided.

"You helped me a lot, to be fair, and there wasn't much to do," Kirsh explained. "But now don't you go and tell others that I'm doing jobs for less than seventy credits, okay?"

"I won't."

* * *

She chose to take the high road through the Jundland Wastes, even though it would take a little bit longer than going straight through the middle. The Sandpeople often camped out on the slopes of the Wastes and it would be risky going underneath them where she could be seen. Having the high ground gave her the advantage; the Sandpeople were less likely to see her and if they did, they would have to run uphill to get to her, giving her a little bit of extra time in case she needed to stop for a rest break. The main problem was that she would not get the shade that the rocks would provide on the high road. It had only just gone midday and the suns stood high in the sky, scorching down on everything.

Leia shut both 3P0 and R2 down and covered them with a sheet so they didn't overheat and melt before pulling on her wraps, ensuring that every inch of bare skin was covered. Even though it was sweltering inside the winding coils of cloth, at least she was protected somewhat from the combined direct heat of the suns. She pulled another sheet and tied it securely to the windscreen, letting the back hang loose. This would flutter behind her as she drove, but the sheet would provide the final layer of protection for all the occupants of the speeder.

Hot and sticky, Leia focused her attention on the hot air that rushed past her face rather than on the sweat pooling on her seat. She had this ability to be able to escape from reality by falling into a mindset of deep focus, something that she could only do every now and again, usually when she had to face tough weather conditions in order to do a job, such as now. Oddly enough, she would still be able to go about doing basic tasks like driving or repairs despite losing herself in sensations like the wind on her face or the simple movement of turning a wrench. She would regain awareness when she had finished the job or when the weather had passed over.

This time, it was when she had arrived in the shade of Ben Kenobi's little hut on the other side of the Jundland Wastes that she came back to reality. Not a single creature had disrupted the journey. Leia gave a small sigh of relief, clambering out from underneath the sheets and approached the hermit's house.


End file.
